The Oculus Rift Virtual-Reality Headset Costs $599

Facebook Inc.’s Oculus division said the company’s Rift virtual-reality headset will cost $599 and is expected to begin shipping at the end of the first quarter, as the company opened the door to customer preorders Wednesday.

Pricing is a key factor in determining whether the devices will win over the masses. It’s not uncommon for new technologies to be costly out of the gate, making them expensive hobbies for early adopters at first. Before today, Oculus gave only a ballpark of the first quarter for shipping to consumers and was largely mum on pricing.